30 Days of Sweat and Stillness: Kayla Reflects on Her First Month of Bikram Yoga

​Meet Kayla, a newcomer to Bikram yoga who just completed her first 30 days of practice. In this post, she shares her honest reflections, challenges, and surprising takeaways from a month spent in the hot room.

What physical or mental changes have you noticed after completing your first 30 days of Bikram yoga?
I noticed a lot of changes! And I was surprised at how quickly I started to notice them and how much better I felt in general. I could fill pages with all the changes I’ve noticed, but I’ll start by sharing just 2-  the first change and the biggest change. 
 
The first change I noticed was a huge improvement to my lung capacity. I have asthma and often struggle to breathe all the way in or feel like I'm taking in enough oxygen. 

Almost immediately I felt like I was breathing easier and deeper, and am now able to breathe all the way in at any time,  something I haven’t been able to do in years!
 
But the biggest/most important change I’ve noticed has been to my mood and mental health. I struggle with depression & anxiety and have found Bikram yoga has helped with this in so many ways. The endorphins after practice are incredible and definitely help, but I think it's much more than that.
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​I understand each pose has a purpose and supports different functions/systems, including our nervous system. I think it's also the act of taking time for yourself, where you're focused solely on connecting with yourself and your body, it's probably the only time in our lives where we're not distracted by phones, to do lists, problems etc, it's just you and your mat for 90 minutes, no outside world. It is the greatest and most radical act of self care and it has really helped me to feel a lot better. 
 
What challenges did you face during your first month of Bikram yoga, and how did you overcome them?
There have been many challenges also! 
My biggest challenge so far has been learning to practice through emotional discomfort. Regardless of how I start a session, certain poses in Bikram yoga seem to stir up my emotions and I start feeling quite dis-regulated/unsettled. Often it feels quite mild, sometimes more overwhelming - but it’s always a challenge and feels so uncomfortable that for a while I wasn’t able to do Camel pose because of it. It felt like something I was physically incapable of doing. There are a lot of tools I use to work through it - acknowledging the feeling, accepting it, breathing through it, taking breaks when it feels too overwhelming. 
 
It’s been really fascinating and I’m still working on it, but over time and with a lot of patience I’m starting to feel more at ease and familiar with the discomfort. I’ve noticed it even starting to change and release a little. One day I came to practice with the idea that I could do it. I practiced the pose before class, slowly & gently to show my mind and body I could do it. Then when the time came, despite the usual discomfort I was shocked and so so proud that I was actually able to do it! It was a huge moment for me.
 
I think I have found that regardless of the challenge you’re facing in Bikram yoga, it’s really important to meet yourself where you are and be gentle. It seems like with time and consistency your mind/body will work it's own magic and you'll get there!
 
Would you recommend starting Bikram yoga to others, and why?
I would recommend starting Bikram yoga to everyone! Because regardless of where you're at or what you need, Bikram yoga will have it for you. It is the best thing I've done for my physical/mental health and general wellbeing - and it will be the best thing you do for yours too!